The present invention concerns a performing method for performing continuity check in an electronic exchange system and more particularly, to a method for performing the continuity check on a speech channel in an electronic exchange system which employs a common channel signalling system defined in the CCITT (Comite Consultatif Internationale Telegraphique et Telephonique) Recommendation No. 7, wherein a digital signal channel is separated from the speech channel; therefore, a need arises for performing the continuity check of the speech channel in some instances.
Generally, in a conventional signalling method, the digital signal channel is not separated from the speech channel and further, a test for incoming/outgoing trunks is performed by a trunk routine check and an ACS (Automatic Call Sender) check. Moreover, the check method includes a method controlled by an operator's instruction and another method controlled by a scheduler, each having a step-by-step function, a repeated-check function for checking the incoming/outgoing trunks repeatedly when the testing result is a fault, and an ORJ (Operator Request Job) function for controlling the data concerning the above functions to meet the operator's need.
The check for the outgoing trunk according to the conventional signalling system is performed such that a test call performed by an MMC (Man-Machine Communication) section occupies an outgoing trunk to be checked from a TTM (Trunk Test Module) dominative system to test, while occupying the outgoing trunk, whether the trunk is in a good condition for the communication by analyzing a response signal from a counterpart.
The ACS test is a test in which a test call is automatically generated by means of a plurality of response keys (a maximum number of twenty keys) to check the performance (or quality) of the outgoing trunk. As the ACS test is performed, a counter for counting the number of the test increases. The counter according to the prior art has a function which stops counting upon an occurrence of a fault, upon a stop-instruction by the operator, or upon an occurrence of eight consecutive faults. Furthermore, there is a tracking function for monitoring the calling procedure on a step-by-step basis and a ACS-restart function.
Accordingly, the main purpose for the conventional trunk test is to test the transmission status or transmission quality of the incoming/outgoing trunks. The trunk test is an analog test such as a transmission test, a noise measurement test, a signal intensity test, a fading test, etc. Further, such tests are performed by means of a signal from a separate trunk.
It can be therefore readily understood that the conventional trunk test cannot be used for the CCITT No. 7 common signalling system in which the digital signal channel is separated from the speech channel.